


The Misuses of Time Travel

by spoilersweetie



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-27
Updated: 2012-11-27
Packaged: 2017-11-19 17:22:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/575738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spoilersweetie/pseuds/spoilersweetie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He watches as River bites her lip and shakes her head with a smile. “Somehow I don’t think the Doctor would… allow this. I do love the man but you know how he can be. Poor dear would probably have a heart attack - and you know he’d only babble and flail about, worrying about ripping holes in time or something and lecture us on misusing time travel...”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Misuses of Time Travel

The Tardis lands silently; the signal he had picked up on was from an unknown source and encrypted so he was unable to read the message – although he’d managed to pick out the co-ordinates with the Tardis’ help – and so he is being on the cautious side just in case.

She is invisible too, and he pulls up the scanner to take in his surroundings before venturing outside.

A coridoor pops up on his screen; non-descript, all dark wooden floors and plain beige walls which don’t tell him much about the time or place he has landed in. He is just about to go outside to find out more when a figure strolls past the screen, high heels clicking loudly on the floor.

A very _familiar_ figure. He only has a view of the back of her but he would know that head of hair and those curves anywhere.

 _River Song_.

He grins, about to dash to the doors when it occurs to him that it is slightly strange that she has not detected the Tardis; he’s seen her do it before. He figures it’s part of her genetic make-up due to being conceived on board that she can sense her so and he has to admit he is a bit jealous – even he is unaware of the box’s exact whereabouts with the invisible shields on.

But she seems distracted; focused on her destination and he decides her lack of attention to her surroundings is why she hadn’t noticed him. She reaches a door at the end of the coridoor, takes out a keycard and lets herself in.

He notices that the other doors lining the hall have similar locks and wonders if this is a hotel.

The lock on the door River had gone through is easy to pick and he slips inside quietly, expecting his wife to notice him immediately but again, she is distracted. The suite he has entered has a small entrance area with a phone, coat stand, and mini-bar before opening into a grand bedchamber, the door to which she has carelessly left ajar, and he steps forward, still out of sight, and peers through it.

She is standing in front of the full length mirror on the far wall, and fixing her appearance meticulously. He watches as she smoothes hands over her dress, arranging her cleavage and fluffing her hair before taking out a tube of lipstick - normal lipstick, and touching up her deep red pout. She smacks her lips together, tucking the lipstick away in her bag which she leaves on the vanity before looking up at her reflection and casting her eyes over the full picture once more. She kisses the air at her reflection with a smirk before turning away. 

Rolling his eyes at his wife’s vanity (but secretly loving it at the same time), the Doctor grins before he straightens his lapels, smoothes his hair down and tweaks his bowtie, about to step into the room and make his presence known when she suddenly turns and speaks.

“Hello sweetie,” She purrs, her voice dripping with flirtation - but - and he is alarmed to note - it is not him she is addressing. He is still in the dark out of sight and her eyes are focused on the other side of the room, just out of his vision and he frowns, retreating back into the shadows and watching with burning curiosity because _he_ is her sweetie, who else would she be addressing as such and why is she using that sexy low voice he thought she only reserved for - _oh._

The Doctor’s eyes widen as he watches, as slowly, purposefully into the room from the other side strolls - _River_.

The first River smiles and the other crosses the room to stand before her, a smile on her lips too but her eyebrows raised in question - she is the younger then.

“Well…this is a surprise.” Speaks the second River, and the first laughs. “And here was I thinking it must be the Doctor summoning me - although - I did think it was a little odd; I don’t think he’s ever signed his messages with three kisses before.”

The first River laughs again and the smile fades from the seconds face. “What….is something wrong? I mean - why did you need to see me? Aren’t we um…causing some sort of paradox by doing this?”

The other River shakes her head, still smiling, and holds up her wrist, a small thin bracelet like piece of silver round it. “This prevents it - neutralises the distortion caused by two versions of the same person at the same point in time, it allows us both to be together here. We’re perfectly safe - although - you should wear one too.” She takes out an identical bracelet and hands it to her other self who takes it. “Just to be on the safe side.”

The other River nods, fastening it round her wrist. As soon as she is done, she looks up, a question in her eyes - but the first River steps forward, quick as a flash, and suddenly she is _kissing_ her - or herself or, or they…!

The Doctor doesn’t know because he has just nearly choked and is trying to gasp in a mouthful of air while remaining silent but - not that it matters because the two (or one?) women in the room are far too distracted to notice him anyway - the younger River having pulled back with a gasp and wide eyes as she stares back at herself.

“We… - we can _touch each other!?”_ She exclaims, clearly in as much shock as the Doctor who - once he’d got over the sight of River - his River, two versions of his beautiful, gorgeous wife _snogging each other_ \- yes, he was completely bewildered that nothing had happened. Technically, it should be impossible for them to touch, two versions of the same woman at two different points in time - it should have killed them both, or at the very least there should have been some sort of big - sparky, explosivy… _thing_ (he blames River for his temporary lack of brain function.)

The older one taps the bracelet on her wrist with a smirk. “You don’t want to know what I had to do to get these.”

Oh she was a _bad girl._

A smirk comes to the younger’s lips too, and she raises her own wrist to admire the piece of technology with a raised eyebrow. “Well - I’m going to have to know for some day aren’t I?”

She laughs. “You work better on improvisation honey. Trust me.”

The other laughs too and then drops her wrist to look back up at herself and the two Rivers lock eyes. The Doctor watches as the older River runs her eyes unashamedly over her younger self, a familiar glint appearing in them - and, clearly recognising the expression, the younger’s face suddenly lights up.

“Oh - please, _please_ tell me we’re going to go and find the Doctor? This is an opportunity _not_ to be missed!” She says with glee, her eyes alight, glinting mischievously and the Doctor sucks in a sharp breath, his eyes wide as he watches -

But the other River is biting her lip and shaking her head with a smile. “Somehow I don’t think the Doctor would… _allow_ this. I do love the man but you know how he can be. Poor dear would probably have a heart attack - and you know he’d only babble and flail about, worrying about ripping holes in time or something and lecture us on misusing time travel.”Her younger self laughs out loud. “Oh - you’re right he _would_. Bless.”

She smiles at herself and the Doctor scowls crossly from the shadows.

Her laughter fades and she cocks her head at herself. “So what’s the point then?” She asks, confused, and the older suddenly grins wickedly and quirks an eyebrow.

“Does there have to be one?”

The younger stares back, eyes widening a little when it clicks in her head and the Doctor watches desire flicker over her face before she bites her lip, looking hesitant, and the older steps in closer.

“Come on…it’s only _me_ …no-one ever has to know…”

She is still biting her lip, and the other River has stepped so close there is but an inch between their bodies, both their rates of breathing increased and two sets of green eyes hooded.

“…My little secret huh?” Younger River murmurs with a smile finding its way onto her lips and the older nods, humming in agreement with a smirk. “And,” the younger speaks again quietly, breathily, “You’re sure it’s safe?”

“Perfectly.” The older grins then, lifting a hand to cup it to her cheek, smoothing her thumb over her own skin as she leans in to breath against her lips, “Or I wouldn‘t be here honey.”

And then - oh God they are kissing again and bloody, fucking hell, the Doctor doesn’t think he can watch this.

She moans - both or one of her, he isn’t sure, and the kiss quickly escalates in its intensity as her hands - both sets - are all over herself, touching, squeezing, pulling at clothing…

He shouldn’t watch this. This is…this is _private_. Oh so very, _very_ private. In fact, what he really should do is not let this happen because River is right, it is potentially dangerous and stupid and he _does_ think this is a terrible, sordid misuse of time travel but it is River, and she is snogging herself like there is no tomorrow and it is the sexiest, most arousing sigh he as ever seen and God he can’t bring himself to stop it. And - anyway, he quickly consoles himself - he can’t stop it because he obviously _hasn’t_ stopped it, or older River wouldn’t be there with it happening right now. So really, unless he wants to create a paradox he doesn’t have a choice but to let her do this.

Still, he _really_ shouldn’t watch. He tells himself this firmly over and over, and attempts to turn away and leave her to it but - bloody hell her dress is on the floor - and the older River is running hands all over the younger River’s now almost bare form and he is rooted to the spot with a dry mouth and suddenly very _very_ tight trousers.

With her hands on the younger’s breasts, squeezing the flesh through the lacy material of her dark red bra, the older moves her lips to her neck, kissing a noisy trail down her skin as the younger throws her head back and arches into her own touch. “Mmm,” she hums to her younger self, “You’re so gorgeous.”

The younger grins and runs her hands down her older’s sides, letting them slip and slide over curves. “Oh I _know._ ”

“I know you know,” she flirts back, and giggles with herself.

He watches as River moves her hands round her younger self’s back and with a soft click, undoes her bra and drops it to the floor. Younger River whimpers quietly, pushing her chest eagerly into older River’s hands, her eyes sliding closed in bliss as her head tilts back further. He knows she likes her breasts touched; she is always so receptive to any attention he pays them but he’d always assumed she plays it up a bit because she knows he is such a boobs man. But _bloody hell_ \- here she is with herself, taking her own nipple into her mouth, her younger self moaning out loud with pure pleasure on her beautiful, flushed face, and it is apparent she really _does_ enjoy it that much.

It then suddenly occurs to the Doctor that this could be a fantastic learning experience for him - observing her pleasuring herself in this wonderfully unique way to become a better lover for her… - it sounds better in his head when he puts it that way anyway.

Older River kisses her way back up when the younger tugs on her hair and he watches with wide eyes as they pause, both chests heaving, to stare each other in the eyes. The younger drops her gaze after a moment and watches as her hands slide out of River’s hair and down over her body.

“This is gorgeous,” her younger self mumbles, running greedy hands and eyes over the older’s dress, a shimmering, dark blue material that hugs and accentuates her curves in all the right ways. “Where do I get it?”

River smiles. “It was a present.”

She looks up at herself. Eyebrows raised in question. “From the Doctor?”

A nod in reply and the Doctor takes a mental picture of the dress, making a note to go and buy it as soon as he leaves. It _is_ a very nice dress.  

Younger River grins, admiring the dress again. “I hope I thanked him _well_ for this.”

“Oh,” laughs the older River. “You will.”

The younger snakes eager hands round behind her, presumably to search for a zipper but the other River takes her hands in her own and pulls them away with a gentle, “Ah, ah…all in good time sweetie.”

There is a smirk on her lips, a familiar, _very sexy_ smirk that is all River and says she is thinking nothing but indecent thoughts behind those sparkling green eyes, and usually the Doctor would be cross that this smirk is not being reserved for just him but he cannot seem to mind in the faintest right now. (Really how could he be _jealous?)_ Other River pouts and presses her body against herself, wriggling her wrists in the older’s grasp as she complains in a low purr, “ _Now_ seems like a very good time to me.”

Older River laughs, a deep throaty sound that sets the Doctor’s insides alight.

“Oh,” she sighs, fondly searching her eyes. “I was impatient that young wasn’t I?”

The younger pouts further and, “You’re teasing yourself,” she complains, “Which is just _stupid.”_

The older laughs and leans in to kiss her lips, chastely at first, before she slips her tongue out and licks across other River’s full parted lips, drawing a sigh from between them. She leans in to respond eagerly, but River pulls away with a smile, releasing her wrists to step back.

“Come on then honey,” she says as she holds out her hand, and her younger self slips her own into it without hesitation to let her lead her over to the bed. “Let’s get this show on the road eh?”

Her younger self grins and sits obediently where she is guided to, immediately lying back to lift her hips and slide her knickers down her legs, kicking them away to leave her completely bare in front of her older self.

She props herself up on her elbows, curls all tumbling round her flushed face and a naughty smirk on her lips. “What do I look like?” She asks herself huskily.

The older River lets her eyes roam over her younger self fully, standing before the bed with hunger in her gaze. “Gorgeous,” she answers with a smile. “Sexy… God you are hot.”

The Doctor grins from his place in the shadows, knowing he should probably be a little disgusted by this whole new level of narcissism but she is River and she _is_ gorgeous and sexy and hot and she is _River_ and so she’s allowed to be a little vain.

She grins up at herself before dropping her elbows to lay back flat, parting long tanned legs and tilting her head as she watches her older self, eyebrow quirked with a 'So?’

Older River does not join her immediately though, much to the Doctor’s surprise, instead she winks, licks her lips and backs away a couple of steps. Younger River appears to be as confused as him until the older one brings her hands round behind herself and the clear, sharp sound of a zip being undone fills the room.

The dress hangs limp round her figure until with a shrug of her shoulders, it slips down to the floor, pooling round her feet until she steps neatly out of it without removing her shoes - blood red high-heels he would know anywhere. The younger glances down.

“Oh I do like those.”

“Yes, you do,” laughs River, and unclips her bra.

“Is it weird,” continues the younger, “That I’m finding watching myself perform a strip tease an incredible turn on?”

River tilts her head back and laughs that low throaty sound the Doctor loves so much.

“Not when you look like this,” she answers, and tosses her bra at herself as she giggles from the bed.

“Fair point.” She moves the bra aside, looking herself over. “Mmm, I look good in those stockings,” She hums appreciatively.

“Yes,” says River, running hands down over her lacy back knickers, suspenders and translucent lace-topped stockings. “Want me to keep them on?”

River considers for a moment. “No. I want you to be naked.”

She nods, and removes the lacy suspender belt before sliding her knickers down her legs. Then she walks forward and props a high-heeled foot up on the bed between her younger self’s legs and raises an eyebrow at her. Younger River whimpers a bit and wriggles, biting her lip, and the older looks herself in the eyes, gaze smoky and half-lidded as she hooks two thumbs under the top of the stocking and slowly peels it down her smooth leg. When it gets to her foot she lifts it to slip the heel then stocking off before dropping both to the floor along with her leg to prop up the other one and repeat the same process.

By the time she is done her younger self is panting on the bed.

In the shadows, the Doctor bites the inside of his cheeks to suppress a groan at the sight of two versions of his wife in the room before him totally naked, and looking at each other with dark, lust filled eyes.

The older River moves forward, placing a knee between River’s legs before slowly crawling up over her to hover where they are nose to nose. He watches younger River’s hands rise to cup her breasts above her, sliding her thumb over the nipples and making River hiss as she leans in to kiss herself. The older one (he thinks) moans into the kiss as the younger River squeezes and plays with her breasts, cupping them in her hands and pinching the nipples lightly. He fleetingly muses about how perfectly they fit into his own large palms but yet River’s tiny hands barely cover them.

When she slides her hands round her back instead, the older presses her torso to her so their breasts rub together, and this draws moans from both of them, their mouths parting so they can pant in mouthfuls of air as older River rolls her body against herself.

“I want…” Younger River pants out, whimpering a bit and wriggling on the bed.

“What do you want honey?”

“Anything,” she breathes, her face flushed as she gazes up into her eyes. “I don’t care, I want…I just want you to touch me. Like only you know how…”

As the older River smiles, the Doctor manages to feel a bit offended through the fog of arousal his brain has turned into. He thinks he knows _perfectly_ well how to touch River thank you very much - she never seems to complain anyway - but the older one slips her hand down and between the younger’s thighs and all thoughts fly from his head.

He watches as the younger version arches into the touch eagerly, humming her approval. River’s hand moves; she appears to be stroking her slowly, but whatever she is doing with those clever fingers of hers is making her younger self twist and thrash on the bed, her mouth open wide and head thrown back. He is startled to quickly see that she is even more vocal and unrestrained in seeking her pleasure and showing her approval than she is with him - of course she is, he thinks - she is technically alone right now - or so she thinks. (He quickly shoves the guilt aside to feel bad about later - _after.)_ Of course she would disregard any self-restraint she would usually have in place.

“Yes,” She starts to pant, clinging to herself with white knuckles as her body writhes on the bed. “There – don’t stop, oh, yes, make me come, make me come, _please_ …”

Older River obeys her youngers self with a smirk on her face; the Doctor sees her increase the speed of her caresses, the muscles in her forearm flexing and working beneath her skin as she watches her younger self’s face intently until she tips her over the edge, so quickly and forcefully he can only stare, jaw dropped, as his wife falls apart to the touch of her own hand.

She quivers and twitches for several moments, the older River easing herself down to lie on top of her, withdrawing her hand from between her legs to cup her face with both hands and kiss her slowly and gently until she seems to calm.

Older River lifts herself back up, pressing one more kiss to her lips with a promise; “Just a little warm-up sweetie.”

“Oh,” Sighs her younger self, and then smiles brightly up at the older one. She rolls them, so she can push her other pliant self onto her back and drape herself on top, leaning in to kiss her deeply again. Their mouths are open against each other and from where he is hiding, the Doctor can see clearly just how thorough the kiss is, watching their tongues lick at the other's lips and mouth, nipping and sucking and kissing languidly as they both hum and sigh in content.

He is so hard he thinks he might spontaneously orgasm just from watching. He looks on, mesmerized, as the younger River on top shifts, sliding her legs either side of her older self’s body until she is straddling her hips, and she kneels up, and looks down at her flushed, panting self, both of them short of breath from the intense kiss.

She rocks herself against the other body, grinding her sex against her stomach and drawing moans from both of them as her eyes flutter. The older of the two grips the younger's hips, biting her lip as she aids her movements for a moment before the one on top pauses, and shuffles herself backwards a little to slip a leg back and push a knee in between her thighs.

“Ohh,” sighs the older one, head tilting back in bliss against the pillows as she plants her feet on the bed, knees bent to give her leverage to rock her hips against the leg pressing to her core, as the younger leans down for another kiss.

She reaches up and presses her hands into her lower back, and the one on top arches into the touch, the Doctor having to repress a choking sound as their breasts press together, their bodies  rocking rhythmically.

“This is lovely sweetie,” says the older of the two after a moment, breaking the kiss. “But you know as well as I do what else I can do with that mouth.” She leans up to nip at her lower lip as punctuation, and pulls back to give herself a dark-eyed flirtatious expression that makes the Doctor’s erection throb painfully. She pouts up at herself. “Please?”

The younger of the two smirks. “It would be my _pleasure_ ,” she purrs, sinking down on the bed immediately to start to kiss a wet trail down over her torso.

The Doctor watches as the River lying on her back pushes her head back into the pillow, a smile on her parted lips.

“Mmm,” she hums as her younger self reaches the smooth  skin between her legs and immediately licks a line up her no-doubt dripping sex. “Always wanted to do this, haven’t you?” She smirks, and the other River lifts her head just enough to murmur back.

“You would know honey.” She purrs, licking her lips as she gazes down at herself, spread out before her. "You look gorgeous like this," she muses, almsot in wonder, and the older River lets out a breathless laugh.

"That's what the Doctor said last time he was in that position."

The younger giggles. "Well... it's good to know he isn't just sweet-talking me." She says, before she dips her head down again, and all the Doctor can see is her mass of curls buried between her own smooth toned thighs.

She chuckles. “Yes it is – _oh! Fuck –_ it’s even better than I remember – oh – _oh!”_

“Does that mean,” The younger one licks in between her words, “It’s my turn next?”

“Yes, yes,” The older chants as her head thrashes back and forth on her pillow, her brow furrowed in a frown and mouth wide open, her expression so that if he didn’t know better, he would think she was in pain. “Anything you want – anything – ohhh…”

He hears her hum thoughtfully as she continues to give herself pleasure, and he is struck by how quickly River seems to be approaching her climax, when the younger one moves back, and he almost swears out loud along with her older self.

She merely grins down at her own outraged face and getting up onto her knees, suddenly turns and swings her leg over her body so she is straddling herself backwards, where she backs up until she can lower her mouth to her sex again.

“Oh,” says the older in approval as she runs her hands eagerly up the back of her younger self’s thighs. “I forgot about this part.” The Doctor watches as her body twitches and she lets out a shout before leaning up and pressing her face between her legs.

Both of them are moaning now, loud and muffled against their own slick skin, and the Doctor realises with  a start that his own hand has inevitably wound up in his trousers without him realising it, rubbing steadily at his throbbing cock. He bites his lip, hand stilling as he reminds himself again that he shouldn’t be watching this – let alone doing _that_  but he hears the River underneath gasp and moan out a, “Fuck sweetie you taste amazing,” And he knows it is utterly pointless even _trying_ not to touch himself.

The two (one) women on the bed climax simultaneously, moaning and rocking and licking through their orgasms, hands gripping sweat-slicked skin and bed sheets and thighs trembling until the River on top rolls off to collapse by her side, flushed and panting hard. The older one rolls onto her side to run a hand up her legs and rest on her thigh, propping herself up on an elbow and smiling down at the other.

The Doctor has forced himself to still, his hand gripping his erection tightly but too afraid to move in the fear that in the quiet of their post-orgasm afterglow they would hear him.

“That was wonderful,” the younger of the two sighs and the older one grins and quirks an eyebrow.

“We’re not done yet.” She flirts in a low, promising tone before getting up to crawl down the bed and press a kiss to her lips before climbing off it. The younger sits up and watches her pad across the room to her bag on the vanity by the wall. Her eyes widen and when the Doctor looks at the other River to see why, his do too, as he watches her with suddenly no air in his lungs as she strolls slowly back across the room with a smooth pink sex toy – large but nothing he knew she couldn’t handle (in fact he was pretty sure he’d even used that particular one on her himself at some point…) held in one hand, her other hand stroking it languidly and teasingly with a smile on her lips, just as she would a certain part of his anatomy, the image making his whole body tremble. 

She reaches the bed and the other River whimpers, biting her lip and wriggling, so obviously aroused it makes the Doctor bite back a whimper of his own.

The older one smiles naughtily at herself and speaks. “Turn around and bend over sweetie.”

The Doctor finds his hand moving again, firmly but forcing himself to keep his strokes slow in order to keep quiet as he watches the River on the bed immediately  get up and turn over onto her hands and knees, spreading her legs and looking back over her shoulder at herself.

“That’s it,” Says the other, her eyes dark with arousal as she places a knee between her legs and climbs back up onto the bed, kneeling between them with her free hand on her other self’s hip. He watches her trail the tip of the toy over her sex, teasing her with it just slowly for a minute – until she presses it to her clit and switches it on, the low humming immediately filling the room. Other River gasps, and rocks back against the pressure, leaning down onto her elbows and bowing her head, little hands fisted in the sheets.

He watches River rub the toy harder against her clit and bites down so hard on the inside of his mouth he tastes blood. “Inside,” the younger one begs with a sob of pleasure, spreading her knees even wider on the bed, her thighs trembling.

The older obliges, sliding the toy into her in one smooth movement, and from his position the Doctor can see River’s slick pink flesh stretch around it as she moans loudly, hips rocking back. The older one grips her hip tightly as she works the toy inside her, concentrating with her bottom lip caught between her teeth, tilting the toy just so that, judging by the other River’s high pitched noises, it hits the exact perfect spot inside her with each stroke.

His own hand is pumping faster on his length now, and he only hopes they are distracted enough not to hear because he is breathing so loudly he is sure they would be able to should they pay attention. The older River’s hand slips from her other self’s hip to between her own legs and the Doctor chokes on a moan as she tilts her head back, letting her eyes slide closed as she pleasures herself, hand moving in time to the one between the other River’s legs.

Just when he thinks this is all going to be over for all three of them very quickly, the River kneeling up behind pauses, both hands stilling, and moves closer. He slows his own strokes as he watches with wide eyes, the younger River voicing his thoughts as she lets out a grunt of frustration and tries to turn her head with a, “What are you –“

“Shh,” she hushes herself gently, twisting the toy a little to pacify her as the Doctor watches her reposition herself carefully, moving one of her legs to place her foot on the bed next to other River’s side, shuffling herself forward on her knee until her sex is pressed close to the other’s. She rocks her hips, grinding herself against her, and both of them moan.

“Oh – God yes,” the younger one chokes out, knuckles white in the sheets. “Fuck me, please.”

The Doctor moans along with the other River at her words, and is only grateful her own sound had been loud enough for either of them not to hear him. Her hand clasped round the toy, she begins to move again, her other hand back on her younger self’s hip for balance as she grinds her hips forward in time to her thrusts which increase in speed and strength quickly as both of them pant and moan, the sweat covering their forms glistening in the low lamplight of the room.

“God I’ve waited so long to be in this position,” gasps out the older River, rubbing herself against the hilt of the toy as she moves it inside her younger self's body.                

The other can only seem to moan, her voice growing louder and higher as she clearly nears her end and the sound of River’s hips smacking against her own arse as she grinds her body in time with the movements of her hand is so loud the Doctor can hear it over their cries. The one behind throws her head back, curls tumbling down round her shoulders and he can see the sweat glistening on her forehead, her brow furrowed in the most beautiful frown of tension and concentration, and mouth open wide as she swears and moans and cries out incoherent exclamations of pleasure.

He can’t hold on, and raises an arm to brace against the wall, turning his head enough to bite down onto the sleeve of his tweed but so he is still able to see them as he feels a climax approaching fast. The younger River gives a cry that is more like a scream, as her body suddenly shudders violently and the older one swears, thrusting forward once more until she too comes hard, and the Doctor is right there with them, muffling his yell into his jacket as the image of two versions of his beautiful, perfect wife brining each other off on the bed in front of him is seared beautifully onto his mind forever.

He is still trembling, and panting hard when he zips himself up, hands shaking furiously as he watches them anxiously, half expecting one of them to turn at any minute to look towards the noise they no doubt heard coming from him but they do not, seemingly still oblivious to his presence and content to lay next to each other on the bed in a satisfied tangle of tanned limbs as they try to catch their breath.

The Doctor swallows hard, slinking right back in the shadows as he looks on, knowing he should leave _now_ – he’d seen what he’d wanted to, he should at least give them – _her –_ her privacy now, but the older one is leaning up and in to kiss herself slowly and gently and he finds himself rooted to the spot again, enraptured.

They sigh when they part, and she lets her head drop back to rest on the pillow, watching herself quietly with a strange and slightly wary expression on her face as she strokes her hand gently over her arm.

“Can there always be two of me?” Younger River suddenly says after their breathing is nearly back to normal. “It would just…be nice. All those days in prison…gets lonely.” The Doctor smiles, assuming she’s being crude when he abruptly notices that her older self has not laughed in reply, instead snuggled herself closer and is smoothing a curl from her own, younger self’s face, looking at her with a sad, sympathetic expression. He frowns, confused at the abrupt change in mood, and watches with wide eyes as the older one speaks softly to herself.

“I know honey… but it gets easier.”

She blinks up at herself. “Does it?”

She nods. “Yes. It does - I promise,” she tells herself softly, using a gentle thumb to wipe what the Doctor abruptly realises is a tear from her younger self’s cheek.

Younger River sniffs loudly and lets out a small, sad little laugh. “I’m consoling myself.”

Older River smiles sadly. “Someone has to. Can’t let anyone else see this, can we?” She speaks softly as she brushes more tears from her own, younger self’s cheeks.

“No,” Younger River sniffs. “The Doctor would feel guilty - and I can’t let him.”

Oh but he already does. He _does_ \- every second of every minute he isn’t with her, he feels for her, somewhere in the back of his mind she is always there, his beautiful, incredible River Song, stuck in a prison cell somewhere for a crime she didn’t commit all for _him_. He does feel guilty.

“No, we can’t,” The older agrees. “But I promise you - it does get easier. It’s a small price to pay really - and he’s worth it. You know that.”

“Yeah,” agrees younger River. “And I deserve it really, don’t I? My sentence.”

Older River doesn’t reply, and the Doctor wants to leap out of his hiding place shouting, yelling at her that _no_ , she doesn’t deserve it! She _doesn’t_ \- she is a _good person_ , despite what she’s done - he _knows that._ But he cannot admit to being here now after all of this - she would never forgive him for spying on something so private like this.

“How much older than me are you?” Says the younger thoughtfully after a moment, still sniffing a bit.

She smiles at herself and shakes her head. “Can’t tell you. Spoilers. You’ll know when the time is right for this though.”

She tilts her head to look up at herself and the older one looks down, a strange expression on her face that the Doctor thinks he can see a hint of great sadness in. His chest tightens and he shifts, feeling uncomfortable.

“Can we do this again? – I – I don’t just mean the sex. Although the sex was amazing,” the younger one gives herself a small grin then before it quickly fades and she bites her lip, waiting for the answer anxiously.

The older one looks sad as she takes her own bottm lip between her teeth and snuggles in closer. “No, sweetie." She finally whispers gently after a pause. "It was risky enough this once.”

The younger one sighs and the Doctor watches as tears fill her eyes again. She scoffs at herself, wiping at her cheeks crossly and tucking her head into her other self’s neck. “It’s just nice, is all. Not to be alone.”

Older River nods, and he is startled to see tears fill her eyes too as she kisses the top of her head and murmurs back sadly, “It’s okay for you sweetie – you get to do this all again yet.”                                                                               

He has no right to be in here right now; no right to see this, and suddenly feeling a terrible ache in his chest, like he has betrayed her trust and invaded her mind and her thoughts and her deepest, private emotions (for that was what he was seeing), an intrusion of the very worst kind... he knows it is time he leaves.

He backs up, and turns, opening the door and slipping silently out of it, closing it softly behind him with a lump in his throat and a horrible feeling of guilt he isn’t sure he will ever be able to be rid of.

 

 


End file.
